Drum Gatelodge

Please note that Irish Landmark properties that welcome a pet may not have secure enclosures. It is vital that you supervise your dog at all times, and follow the Dog Policy carefully.
There is a fee of £30 per dog. You can add this at time of booking by selecting 'Taking a Dog', or contact us to arrange.
Read our Dog Policy
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Archdeacon Traill, whose family still own the estate, built the Drum Gatelodge (also known as Ballylough West Lodge) at the end of a long avenue of beech trees at the western entrance to the Ballylough Estate in 1800. The Lodge was tiny, with two rooms linked by a stone staircase. It was a dwelling with no running water, an outside two-holer and you pumped your own water from the well on the opposite side of the avenue. It was always lived in by estate workers, but there are no records of the occupants prior to 1898 when Lizzie Taggart and her husband came to live there. Both of the Taggarts were employed on the estate, he as a farm labourer, and she as the 'hen girl' looking after the geese, ducks and hens.
Mr. Taggart died sometime between 1910-1920 leaving Lizzie with a family of two daughters, named Elizabeth and Martha, and a son called Joseph. Elizabeth married a Mr. Callaghan and went to live in nearby Castlecatt, where they had a family of four sons and a daughter. Martha moved to Cloughmills and married Mr. White, a farmer. Robbie (Robert), one of her children, was sent back to be reared by his grandmother at the lodge.  He was sent to the local school at Ballylough, became a bus driver, and lived at the lodge with his grandmother until her death in 1962.  Robbie then came to live in Bushmills, where he set up a small business in the Main Street, and died in his 70s.
Lizzie's son, Joseph, joined the Army at the outbreak of the First World War served in France, and married on his return. He was employed by local farmers and latterly worked with a local coal delivery firm. Joseph had two children, Joseph and Margaret. Joseph (junior) worked locally in Coleraine until the outbreak of the World War Two when he joined the Army.  He was stationed in Scotland where he met and married a local girl. He is still living in Scotland after 63 years - he and his wife are now in their mid 80s. Margaret worked in local factories as a seamstress, married Edward Crawford and had a family of four.
Lizzie Taggart herself was quite a character, Mrs. Shanks (who lived nearby as a child) has vivid recollections of her from as far back as the 1940's:
" My childhood was spent on a farm just along the road away from Bushmills, and I remember Mrs. Taggart and Robbie, her grandson, and their quaint home. We children spent the first few years of our school life (under the beady eye of Mrs Briggs!) at the wee two teacher school at Castlecatt. We had permission to take a short cut through the estate, and as we always walked to school, this saved some time and shoe leather. We passed right by the lodge twice a day and often saw and chatted to Mrs. Taggart. We knew that her name was Lizzie, but to us children, she was always Mrs. Taggart.
We were in no hurry on that homeward journey - we'd dawdle among the trees, pick the odd wild flower or play tag around the trees near the Lodge. Mrs. Taggart might have been feeding hens or carrying in water from the well, as we passed. Although kindly, Mrs. Taggart was fairly outspoken, and voiced her opinion when the occasion demanded it. My brother James and I, being the youngest, usually walked home together, and we still laugh about the time when he left me behind among the trees while he ran off without me. I was crying, so I was escorted into the Lodge with soothing noises and some tit bit or other, and James was sent off with her opinions ringing in his ears and no goodies!"
Lizzie's tenancy was from 1898 to 1962, and reports of her housekeeping show the great changes in domestic habits throughout her married life, as well as resourcefulness in bringing up a family in such a small space
She cooked on an open peat fire with a crook and hooks and a griddle, and made soda bread and potato cakes daily.

Guests do not have access to the private estate.
Irish Landmark Trust has teamed up with Co. Down-based food company Hara at Home to offer guests the option to pre-order a premium meal delivery service at The Drum Gatelodge.  Visit www.shophara-food.com to have a look and make your selection for the date required. Order and make payment directly with Hara at Home.
Please see FAQ for further details.

There is WiFi at this property, but please note that this is not a strong signal.